Author and Speaker | Business and Marketing Strategist | Guinness World Records® record holder

Monthly Archives: November 2011

“The 7 Lessons of Mega-Successful Entrepreneurs” Webinar

Join me for a webinar on November 29

As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I know you probably struggle with the feeling that you’re never doing enough to grow your business. I know you probably wrestle with time management and getting more clients and customers. I know you probably grapple with knowing how to give your business the boost it needs when you hit a plateau.

How do I know? Because I’ve been working with entrepreneurs for fifteen years, helping my clients face those exact struggles. I talk with entrepreneurs and small business owners every single day who face these challenges and more.

Know how else I know? Because I’m an entrepreneur and small business owner, just like you. Used to be, when I put down a book or walked out of a seminar, I’d wonder, “What now?” I felt like there was something missing.

More than that, I wanted to know what […]

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Invest In Your Business- But Only When It Pays For Itself

I’ve had a Sony Vaio laptop for three and a half years now. I used to turn technology over faster, back when I was doing more web development and technical stuff, but these days, most of what I do involves writing. Still, I’m what’s known as a “power user” and tend to overtax any computer I use, and the Sony Vaio is known for overheating and shutting down at random without notice…which is not cool when you’re doing something important and haven’t had a chance to save your work yet.

I decided it was time to make a decision: do I sent the Sony in for service (again) or break down and upgrade to something new? The answer came when I remembered a lesson my husband, Leo, shared with me, something he learned when he was a young musician. Leo is a drummer who has played professionally in bands around […]

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5 Awesome Entrepreneurial Superstars You Should Be Learning From Right Now (I Am!)

Lately, in an effort to simplify and cut down on the “noise,” I’ve been culling down my list of people I’m learning from. The list still falls well into the three digits, but I’ve started focusing my attention on a “shortlist” of very cool, very interesting people and companies who have a lot to say about entrepreneurship and small business today. Today I’ve decided to share five of my favorites from my shortlist and tell you why I think they’re so important:

1) Dixie “Dynamite” Gillaspie (@dixiedynamite)
Dixie “Dynamite” Gillaspie is the secret weapon behind several of my favorite mentors and recently became my own coach. Dixie is a coach, a consultant, a muse, an adviser, a friend, and she has earned her nickname, “Dixie Dynamite,” at least a thousand times over. She has helped me find myself and is helping me re-design Business in Blue Jeans around the vision that’s […]

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A Tribute to a Family Business in Blue Jeans

I just received a heartbreaking e-mail from one of my favorite family-run businesses. Ross Faris, the founder and owner of Your Neighbor’s Garden, a small home market in the suburbs of Indianapolis (and I dare say, one of Indy’s best semi-kept secrets), passed away last night.

The story of Your Neighbor’s Garden has always held a special place in my heart, partly because it’s such a lovely family story, and partly because it’s such a perfect example of the business philosophy that is so near and dear to my heart. I’ll quote Ross’s own posting of the history of YNG from their web site:

“Thirty years ago my son Greg and daughter Anne asked me if they could have a lemonade stand. I suggested they could make more money selling vegetables from my garden. We started with the produce on a picnic table in our front yard along […]

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